Maddie sniffed.
‘I heard about … you know …’ God, what was the right thing to say?Nel didn’t know.She’d never been in love.She’d never even had a boyfriend.‘I brought cheesecake.’
Maddie rolled over and sat up.Her eyes were swollen.
Nel pulled the cake out of the cardboard box and passed Maddie one of the forks she’d taken from the kitchen drawer before she’d left home.Maddie took a forkful and put it in her mouth.They’d eaten half the cake before the words started tumbling out.
‘He said he needs space to focus on his HSC, but I don’t get why.It’s not like he’s going to uni.He’s just going to work for his dad at Warner Property.’She put down the fork.‘I feel sick.’She groaned and lay back against the pillows.
‘You’re better off without him,’ Nel said, putting her own fork down.
‘I said I could give him space, but …’
‘Maybe it’s for the best.’Nel paused to gauge Maddie’s response.
‘Why?’
‘You’re too good for him.’
‘If I’m so good, why doesn’t he want me?’
‘Cos he’s an idiot,’ Nel said.‘He just dumped the best person he’ll ever meet and he doesn’t even know it.’
Maddie smiled.Relief washed over Nel.She’d said the right thing.‘I never liked him,’ she added, ‘or his stupid brothers.’It felt good to saywhat she really thought after spending so long keeping her opinions to herself, afraid that Maddie would choose Ryan over her.
‘You didn’t?Why not?’
‘It always felt like he was making fun of you.’
Maddie shrugged but didn’t deny it.
‘You’re better off without him, Maddie.’
*
Nel swore under her breath, contemplating her friend’s terrible predicament.Maddie was sixteen and pregnant with her ex-boyfriend’s child.And she couldn’t even confide in her best friend because Nel had made it clear she despised him.
God, how could she have been so stupid?After the break-up, she’d assumed everything would go back to the way it was before Ryan came on the scene, but Maddie’s heartbreak had morphed into an obsession.Everywhere they went, Ryan was there.It had taken Lauren to point out that Maddie was orchestrating these encounters.
‘You’ve got to tell Maddie to stop stalking Ryan,’ she’d said.‘It’s embarrassing!’
Nel’s cheeks had burned at her own naivety.She told Maddie it had to stop.‘He doesn’t want to be with you!’she’d said, trying to get through to her friend.Pain had flashed in Maddie’s eyes and Nel wished she could take the words back.But the chance encounters didn’t stop.Maddie just dumped Nel for a new friend from the ice creamery, an emo girl in the year above.
Nel’s heart ached.She longed to go back and comfort her friend.Protect her.Tell her everything would be okay.
She stopped abruptly when she reached the wharf, taking in the sight of the old boatshed now transformed into a bar called Drifters.Festoon lights hung from the eaves, giving it an inviting glow.
Inside, cane furniture and bamboo pendant lights gave the space a tropical vibe.It was empty, just as Jimmy had assured her it would be when she’d insisted they meet somewhere quiet, away from the prying eyes of Carrinya locals.
Nel studied the blackboard over the unattended bar, noting the tourist prices.No wonder the place was empty.The locals must be up the road at the Grand, she supposed, with its sticky tables and happy-hour prices.She was starting to think they might not be open yet when an impossibly pale barmaid with a pink rinse in her hair wandered through the swinging doors.
‘Sorry, didn’t realise anyone was here,’ she mumbled.‘What can I get you?’
Nel wondered if she might be anaemic and fought an urge to suggest a blood test.She ordered a nineteen-dollar glass of pinot and chose a table by the window.She gazed into the darkness outside, where she could just make out a whale-watching boat idle on its mooring, its ‘Next Cruise’ blackboard blank.Beyond that, Deception Bay was a black void.
She looked over as Jimmy entered.He gave her a nod and went to the bar.When he reached the table he greeted her with a kiss, his woody aftershave lingering as he sat down and clinked his glass against hers.
‘Cheers,’ he said.He took a sip of his beer and wiped froth from his top lip with the back of his hand.‘What d’you think?Pretty trendy for Carrinya.’
